Healthy Eating Series with Replay | Day 9 {Quinoa}

Quinoa has been a favorite food of Olivia's for as long as I can remember. For a girl who won't touch chicken nuggets or mashed potatoes, I suppose it's no wonder she loves quinoa as much as she does. I think she has been a health nut from Day 1.

Quinoa is an accessible, nutrient-packed grain crop that is grown primarily for it's seeds. It is high in protein, naturally gluten free and a rich source of the B vitamins thiamine, riboflavin and vitamin B6. It also contains high levels of folate and potassium.

Today I'll be sharing three of our favorite quinoa recipes that are easy and filling in collaboration with Replay Recycled! You can also find an entire board of quinoa recipes that are on my radar on my Pinterest page here.

Quinoa is a great base for so many recipes because it can take on any flavor it is combined with and can be stored in the fridge and reheated easily.

HARVEST QUINOA WITH CARMELIZED ONION AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH

{I always laugh when I think about how my daughter refuses grilled cheese, mashed potatoes and chicken nuggets, but how she loves quinoa in every form! Thankfully, we always have quinoa on hand and I love how adaptable it is. You can add lots of ingredients or keep in simple with very few, and this is one of our recent favorites for a flavorful and bright quinoa dish}

what you'll do:+ cook quinoa according to package instructions and set aside {I usually make ½ to 1 cup of quinoa at a time, because although it doesn’t look like much, it expands a lot when cooking}+ in a small frying pan, heat oil of choice over medium heat+ add in diced red onion and butternut squash and cook until tender and caramelized+ mix cooked quinoa with squash and red onion, adding S&P to taste+ serve warm

{This recipe is also delicious with turkey or chicken sausage added for extra protein / I buy ours fresh from the meat counter and remove the casing, and then crumble it and cook it in olive oil before adding the vegetables to the frying pan!}

FIESTA QUINOA

{Mexican is always on the menu around here and this is a great way to amp up tricolor quinoa any day of the week! You can customize it to yours and your child’s preferences, adding diced avocado, green onion, or tomatoes for extra flavor}

what you'll do:+ cook quinoa according to package instructions and set aside {I usually make ½ to 1 cup of quinoa at a time, because although it doesn’t look like much, it expands a lot when cooking}+ defrost corn on countertop in small bowl+ open beans, drain and rinse thoroughly+ mix cooked quinoa, corn and black beans together until well-combined; add a fresh squeeze of lime if desired+ add in any extra ingredients you have on hand: avocado, green onion, diced tomatoes, red onion, etc.+ serve warm, at room temperature, or cold

BUTTERED QUINOA WITH PEAS

{The most basic of all 3 quinoa recipes today, buttered quinoa with peas is a comfort food for Olivia since she has loved peas since she started solid foods. You can sub any vegetable your child really likes, or serve buttered quinoa plain. Be sure to use real butter when cooking and avoid butter-like spreads and margarine, as it is often filled with ingredients your child should avoid}

what you'll need:+ ½ cup of white, red, or tricolor quinoa – cooked according to package instructions {in this recipe, I used white but you can use any type you have on hand!}+ ½ cup frozen peas, defrosted or fresh peas, pods removed+ 1 TBSP butter / S&P+ small frying pan

what you'll do:+ cook quinoa according to package instructions and set aside {I usually make ½ to 1 cup of quinoa at a time, because although it doesn’t look like much, it expands a lot when cooking}+ in small frying pan, melt butter on low+ mix peas with warm quinoa until well combined+ add in melted butter, S&P to taste+ serve warm